Meet the Two AP Top 25 Voters Who Think Notre Dame Is Better Than Oregon

Both teams are undefeated, but simply watching the games on Saturday, it doesn't take you long to figure out which team is the better of the two. If you ask 10 guys in a bar who would win between the Oregon Ducks and Notre Dame, likely at least eight of those guys are siding with the speedsters out west. The other two guys probably grew up in South Bend.

Notre Dame has done a surprisingly good job this year but hasn’t looked as impressive as the Ducks have. Oregon leads the country in scoring, averaging 54 points a game, and really hasn't had a close encounter all season long. The Irish have needed luck in nearly every game this season, including a couple of bizarre whistles from the referees in a couple of contests.

Oregon is coming off of its most superb victory yet over USC, while Notre Dame needed three overtimes to knock off an unranked Pittsburgh club. Because of last week’s results, the Ducks have jumped Notre Dame in the BCS rankings, as Oregon is currently the No. 3 team in the country.

Still, there are a couple of AP voters who don't believe much in Chip Kelly and company, and they showed that by having Notre Dame jump the Ducks in their recent AP ballots.

Murray is a writer for the Reno (Nev.) Gazette-Journal, where he has covered the Nevada Wolf Pack basketball team since 2007, and recently took on the football team as well back in 2010. He has won multiple Associated Press Sports Editors awards and you can check out his Wolf Pack blog here.

I base my poll on an entire season and not just one game. Notre Dame is undefeated against the No. 16 strength of schedule in the nation; Oregon's SOS is 47 and has only played two true road games. Oregon hasn't played a top-10 BCS team; Notre Dame has and beat that team. I try to strip out my opinion and base my poll on what has actually happened. With Oregon's upcoming game against Oregon State and the Pac-12 title game, the Ducks have plenty of time to catch up.

While Murray does have a point, Oregon hasn't had any trouble defeating unranked teams like Notre Dame has. Throw the strength of schedule out the window for a second, give Oregon teams like BYU and Pittsburgh, and Oregon will win those contests by more than a field goal.

The Ducks also haven't needed multiple controversial calls to bail them out, while the Irish have needed several (see Stanford and Pittsburgh).

Oregon has chewed up and spit out every opponent it has played so far. We can't say the same for Notre Dame.

Which is the better team?

Notre DameOregonSubmit Votevote to see results

Which is the better team?

Notre Dame

4.6%

Oregon

95.4%

Total votes: 1,896

John Werner is a Texas guy, as he graduated from Texas State University back in 1979 and has covered Baylor sports for the Waco (Texas) Tribune-Herald since 1982. Much like Murray, Werner also had Kansas State jump Oregon, and Notre Dame leapfrog the Ducks.

Maybe it is some of the Big 12 bias kicking in, which may explain the Wildcats moving up two spots, but that doesn't say much for Oregon falling two slots in the poll. Maybe he doesn't believe in the Ducks defense because he was around to see those great teams like the 1974 Oklahoma Sooners and 1971 Nebraska Cornhuskers.

Oregon may be just a different speed than what he is used to seeing.

Whatever the case is, having Notre Dame above Oregon is not such a popular choice with the rest of college football.